Lithium
Argentina is part of the "lithium triangle" with Chile and Bolivia. Seven projects produce lithium carbonate in the salt flats of Jujuy, Salta and Catamarca, and there are 68 projects from 41 companies at various stages.
7projects in production
23,000 tof lithium produced in 2025 (18,000 in 2024), according to USGS
US$ 905 Mlithium exports in 2025, a record
Projects in production
| Project | Provincia | Company | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fénix (Salar del Hombre Muerto) | Catamarca | Rio Tinto | 1997-1998 |
| Olaroz | Jujuy | Rio Tinto (with JEMSE) | 2014-2015 |
| Cauchari-Olaroz | Jujuy | Minera Exar (Lithium Argentina and Ganfeng) | 2023 |
| Centenario-Ratones | Salta | Eramet | 2024 |
| Sal de Oro | Salta / Catamarca | Posco | 2024 |
| Mariana | Salta | Ganfeng | 2025 |
| 3Q | Catamarca | Zijin | 2025 |
Rio Tinto kept Fénix and Olaroz when it bought Arcadium Lithium in 2025. Several projects are still in "ramp-up" (increasing their production).
How it is produced
- Most pump brine from beneath the salt flats and concentrate it by solar evaporation in ponds over several months; then a chemical plant turns it into lithium carbonate.
- New direct lithium extraction (DLE) technologies, like the one at Centenario-Ratones, shorten timelines and use less pond area.
- In May of 2026, 11,562 tons of lithium carbonate were produced (+45% year over year) and in June, 10,378 tons were exported for US$ 179 million.
What comes next
Under RIGI, Rincón (Rio Tinto, Salta), the expansion of Cauchari-Olaroz, Hombre Muerto Oeste and the Fénix expansion were approved. The Mining Secretariat projects lithium exports of about US$ 4,500 million in 2030 and US$ 11,500 million in 2035.
What it means for a supplier
- Lithium projects are chemical plants in the Puna, at more than 3,500 meters: ponds, pumps, HDPE pipe, process plants, tanks, power generation and camps.
- They demand piping, tanks, pumps, instrumentation, civil works and erection: many categories in common with oil.
Fuentes
Updated as of October 9, 2026. Anything to correct or add? Write to us.